The New Prophecy Repeat
by XblackcatwidowX
Summary: Relive The New Prophecy starring the cats as humans. The spotlight is taken by Squirrelflight as she tells the tale of her human life. Endeavor through the chaos that is about to come to life, twining through adventure and love.
1. Chapter 1

**This was inspired by ****Skylark Evanson****'s ****_Leah & Cale_**** fanfiction, which is the story of Leafpool and Crowfeather's forbidden love in human life. A story that may reduce you to tears :'( Anyway, I've made some changes to the story and how the ****_lurve*_**** (*love) triangle comes, so yes. Now, I hope you enjoy ****_Reflection_****! This is the chapter one of Midnight.**

I came from a rich family, and attended a school for teens like me. It wasn't a huge school, though there were enough people to keep the tutors busy. Nowadays, we consumers lack the money needed to attend the Brinton S.C. Warriors' Academy.

In other words, it was a fancy boarding school. And I hated it.

Let me tell you a little bit about my family, my close friends and myself before I begin my story.

My name is Sylvia Fire. I guess my surname 'Fire' suits, because of my dark ginger hair. Just like my dad, Finlay Fire. My mom, Sandra (though she prefers Sandy) is also has ginger hair, though it's implied.

Lena, my twin sister, is who people call my opposite. She hasn't inherited Finlay's, nor Sandy's, hair colours. Somehow she managed to get a far more civil brown-blonde shade. Rather than vibrant green eyes (also like Finlay, Sandy and I), she's got an amber-brown, which glows softly, like the embers in a fire. She's small and has a petit frame. Also, unlike me, she gets perfect grades, and is quiet and attentive. I, on the other hand, do not possess the brain power that Lena does. Its not like I don't care, really! I'm just a B student, maybe a C here and there. But _anyway_. Am I quiet or attentive? Not in the least bit. I'm loud. I'm chatty. I'm too boisterous for my own good, as Sandy says. Not like I mean to be! I'm just… imperfect.

You would think that being chatty meant that you were always surrounded my other kids all day. Surrounded by _friends_. But nup. You've got the wrong idea. Or maybe you've got the right idea and it's just that there're, like, hardly any other people at school. Maybe.

So I stick around Sam. He's alright, really. Dark brown hair? Check. Dark brown eyes? Check. Imperfect like me? Check. But we're not as close as Lena and I are. Some sort of connection holds us together, I'm sure.

And then there's Ben. Benedict. The annoying guy who's a few grades above me.

Sheesh, talk about annoying. He thinks he's so great, I wish he could see himself… I think that I dislike ol' Ben the most. Really.

As in _really_, not 'really'. If that even makes sense.

I was sitting in the shade of a canopy of trees, just outside the dormitories. I was just sitting there, watching a butterfly skim across the surface of the grass.

It was Saturday morning. Not much was going on, except for the usual muted buzz of chatter as fellow boarders mingled around the ovals, exchanging gossip, reading, doing homework, or just sitting there. Like me.

But! Oh, was it too much to ask to be left alone for a little?

"Sylvia," somebody called from behind. I twisted my head reluctantly, catching the breeze in my hair as I did so. It was Darius, my tutor. Darius was known to be quite snappish, so I cringed slightly, scared for a moment that I'd forgotten to hand in an assignment. The last thing I needed was a lecture in front of the entire school. But Darius wasn't scowling. There a was twinge of amusement in his eyes as he walked over, Ben just behind him. I kept my eye from hardening, and slipped to my feet and sauntered over, cool as a cucumber, as some people may have called it.

"Yes…?" I drawled, blinking up at my tutor.

"I am _sorry_ to tell you, Sylvie, but my wife–"

"Frances?" I butted in. "What happened to her?" I immediately clamped my mouth shut when Darius shot me a _shut-up-and-I'll-tell-you _look.

"Yes, _Frances_ has just given birth, and I'm going to be spending time in hospital with her over the next few days. That okay with you?"

"Yeah…" I shot a sideways glance at Ben. He was in grade eleven, while I still resided in grade nine. Dark-haired and handsome, I couldn't help but admire his amber eyes that some girls would kill for, then I snapped out of it and glared at him.

"As you know _Ben_ here is older than you–" _duh._ "–and he'll be supervising you for me while I'm away."

"And he'll be supervising me for you while you're–" I froze. My breath hitched in my throat.

_No… No… NO! Not Benedict! Not him! How will I live? Murder me, Darius, pleeeease!_

"You got it." Darius sounded mildly amused. I couldn't believe it. I stared incredulously at Ben, then back to my tutor. My skin crawled with goose bumps. My hair seemed to stand on end from the ponytail that I had pulled it up into. My eyes itched, as though I was about to start crying.

Hey, what's the big fuss for? Ben's a nice enough guy, say the other girls. He's so cute as well; I wish he were tutoring _me_.

Well, wrong! Wrong, wrong, _wrong_! He's so self-centered! Is there a person that you dislike so much that it hurts? Someone who you wish never came to your school or club or whatever? Someone who you wished would just _go away_? Well, that's how I felt.

"But!" I tried not to sound too childish for a fifteen year old. I needed an excuse. _Anything_. "Well, you see…" I tried to lie as I always did, but it didn't work. I stood there, my jaw unhinged, hanging open as I mentally struggled.

"Sylvie, if you ever want to graduate, you've got to stop being such a fusspot!" Darius snapped. "I'm so sorry that Asher's taken, okay?"

"What has _Asher_ got to do with this?" I retorted, cheeks flaming. I hated how everybody made these assumptions. Asher, the handsome eleventh year, was everything that a typical Brinton-S.C.-Warriors'-Academy-girl could wish for. He was a brunette, which was a good sign. He had dark blue eyes. Another one. He was smart and fun, yet was deadly serious when it came to his duties all at the same time. And he was _single_. Which was more than I could say about a lot of the others. Excluding Ben, I was annoyed to say. Both he and Asher declined dating requests. And never handed them out on invitation either.

"I– no, _we_, know that you would love to have him supervise you." Darius's reply sent a wave of anger through me. Sometimes he was more a child than I was. Which made me even madder. I narrowed my eyes at him. My tutor continued. "Everyone does, don't they, Ben?" Ben shot a sideways glance at me. But he decided to remain silent. No one wanted to get in the middle of an argument between Darius and Sylvia, the two most hotheaded people in the academy. That's not a good thing, by the way. I drew myself to my full height, preparing to hurtle all that I had (which was a lot, trust me) at Darius.

"Just because we sit together at lunch and assembly doesn't mean that I want him to _supervise_ me like a nanny!" I insisted, folding my arms across my head.

"That isn't how _I_ see things," replied a stubborn Darius. "I see no more than this: you've got a massive crush on Asher." I forced a fresh blush from blending into the old one. I glared at my feet for a moment, clenching my fists inside the pockets of my duffel coat.

_How dare he! He's a teacher, for Christ's sake! How would _he_ know about this sort of stuff?_

"I do not!" I spat suddenly. "I've got absolutely no interests whatsoever in anyone! Get that into your head!" With one last scowl at Darius and Ben, I removed my hands from my pockets and stormed away, flexing my cramped fingers as I went.

_Nobody makes assumptions about Sylvia Fire._

**Hope you liked my first chapter! ;D If it had been written in Brambleclaw's POV, it would have been a lot longer, if you re-read chapter one of Midnight. So, who votes for the next chapter to be written from, say, Leafpool or Brambleclaw's POV? And everybody, send me a review with your guesses at which character is which, e.g: Ben = Brambleclaw (obviously!) **

** Cya all!**

**~Black Cat Widow~ **


	2. Chapter 2

**I have to admit, I'm disappointed by my lack of reviews, but never mind! It's the thought that counts. **

**OK, lets get on my **_**Midnight**_**. Flashback…**

'"_I do not!" I spat suddenly. "I've got absolutely no interests whatsoever in anyone! Get that into your head!" With one last scowl at Darius and Ben, I removed my hands from my pockets and stormed away, flexing my cramped fingers as I went. _

_Nobody makes assumptions about Sylvia Fire.'_

…**and to the real thing, chapter two…**

I stormed around the school campus until I found myself at the entrance gates.

Immediately my anger faded, and was struck by a sudden longing to escape into the open arms of freedom. Tucking a strand of hair back behind my ear and folding my arms against my chest, I considered running away. But that was a ridiculous idea! I couldn't believe that I'd even thought of it.

"Sylvie!"

I flinched slightly, taking an immediate step back from the gates, expecting it to be Darius, hot on my trail, until my brain finally registered who's voice it was.

"Lena?" I ran my hands over my skinnies to clear off the dirt that had coated itself on. I had always felt a need to stay clean, civilized and adult while my twin was around. Not in the way like, _I have to impress her_. More like, _It's an expectation, me being the elder twin._ "Um, yeah?"

Lena, looking pretty as usual, her light hair held back in a loose bun and her denim jacket a faded blue to match her colour tones, was just beyond the border of trees that lined the school.

She raised a finger and beckoned me shyly, yet firmly, towards her. Reluctantly, I did as she said and came over, carefully avoiding eye contact.

"Yes?" I repeated.

"You want to leave?" Lena asked. I giggled weakly.

"Umm, hey! What gave you that idea? Why would I want to leave?"

Lena gave me a pointed look. Essentially, she was asking me whether I thought that she was stupid or something. I forced out a grin. Lena huffed and tugged at a stray strand of thread on her clothing. We were silent for a moment, but it was more of a companionable silence rather than one filled with awkwardness.

"So you don't want a chance to check out beyond that gate without peer pressure?" Lena finally broke the silence.

"Yes!" I blurted out, and then blushed at her knowing look. "I mean, yeah… but how would you know this stuff?"

"Just because I'm a nerd–"

"You are _not_ a nerd–"

"–Doesn't mean that I spend all my time studying and reading and drawing!"

"–Really, because you're way to pretty and cool to be one, not to mention all those people who're trailing after you!"

"W-what?" That cut Lena short.

"You heard me!" I snapped. I guess that's how I get when I'm aggravated. "I can't believe you didn't _know_ that! How thick can you get?" Immediately I regretted my words. Lena's jaw clamped shut and she grew pallid. A sheath of sweat appeared on her pale top lip, and her mouth formed the word, '_thick.'_

"L-Lena," I mumbled stupidly. "You're n-not thick." But rather than accepting my apology as the normal Lena would, she snapped completely, glaring at me through eyes that had changed to the colour of flames. Then she whirled around and left, leaving me standing there alone.

"What's _your_ problem?" I breathed, though guilt shrouded my mind. I knew that Lena was sensitive, but not _that_ sensitive.

_Now what?_ I kicked at the stones at my feet, wearing out the toes of my canvas shoes. I vaguely remembered Darius telling me yesterday that I'd better get revising for my calculus test, but I really couldn't care about that at the moment.

That was when I heard a group of people coming my way. I slunk back into the shadows of the trees and watched as Ben, Asher and Tiernan came through the barrier of trees opposite me. It was obvious that they had just come from the dormitories.

"–Don't think she's very happy about that," Ben was saying.

"I heard them going off at each other," Asher added. "Don't tell Sylvie that I'm saying this, but she's almost as hot-tempered as Darius! I think that Finlay could have done a better job at choosing a softer tutor for her…" Their voices faded away as they passed. Bored and upset as I was, a good measurement of time eavesdropping would be good, I decided, and followed, pulling my scarf over my hair so that whenever the sun hit the trees border, my hair wouldn't flame brightly.

"You can't blame Finlay for his daughter's temper!" Ben snapped. "It's nobody but her _own_ fault that she can't hold herself back from a good argument." I scoffed at that, clutching my scarf over my face so that only my bright green eyes were visible.

"I'm not blaming Finlay! But you can't blame Sylvie _either_!"

"Sylvia is too arrogant for her own good."

"Jeez, Ben, she's not arrogant!"

"Oh yeah? You should've seen her earlier today, then. She thinks that it's cool to be cocky, I reckon."

I flushed, vowing to myself that I would get Ben back later.

"Guys, stop bickering!" Tiernan ordered. Tiernan was one year older than both Asher and Ben, but might as well have been ten years more mature than them both. "We're doing something, remember. It's not 'time to debate over Finlay and Sylvia Fire'. Okay?"

"He started it," Ben and Asher said at the same time. I had a sudden urge to jump out of the trees and strangle them. Why did they act so irritating when alone? So much for being 'deadly serious when it came to his duties', as I'd described him as earlier. I snorted, and immediately regretted it.

"I did not!" Asher and Ben shouted at each other.

"Shut up!" Tiernan snapped. He was staring directly at me. "You can come out now."

_Crap!_ But he'd seen me already, and I knew that I couldn't run for it. I may have been the fastest runner for girls, but I highly doubted it when I was against Tiernan.

So I stepped out of the trees, eye narrowed. My headscarf was still on, so none of them recognized me.

"Who're you?" Tiernan queried, eyeing me wearily, "and how did you get into this academy's grounds?" I didn't reply, so he snapped, "Just take off that scarf, will you?"

Feeling all three of their eyes on me, I removed my scarf and scowled at them.

"Happy?" I asked mockingly.

"Sylvia Fire." Tiernan didn't sound happy at all. Ben's eyebrows were so high up that I couldn't see them anymore beneath his fringe, and Asher was staring at me intently.

Everything was silent. Then…

"Well?"

"Well _what_?"

"Well, why're you following us?"

"Because I heard you discussing me and my father." I tilted my chin up to glare at Tiernan, who remained cool in return.

"Does Darius know of you coming here?"

"Umm…" I needn't answer for the three of them to know. They didn't even need to _ask_ for them to know. Tiernan gave a patient sigh, and I folded my arms. "What're you gonna do?"

"I _would_ send you back, only I don't trust you."

"_Trust_ me?" I said in disbelief. "You can't be serious…" Tiernan's expression remained hard.

"She can just come with us?" Asher suggested. I cocked a head in Tiernan's direction, waiting for the immediate, '_no_,' but it never came. Slightly surprised, I glanced at Tiernan, who was nodding slowly.

"I guess… but if Darius skins us, its not my fault," Tiernan warned, picking up the pace again. With a huff, Ben followed close behind. I wrinkled my nose at him, and with a rock on my heels, I followed afterwards, Asher keeping next to me.

"So, Ben and you, huh?" He said. I looked at his face, and his blue eyes were clouded slightly.

"Umm, a serious dislike towards one another, yes. But from the way you say it, it sounds more like partners."

"Maybe that's because I meant it to sound like that."

I shrugged, and looked around the landscape. Hang on, where _were_ we? I barely recognized any of hilltops that we faced. I'd never been this far from the academy, as a matter of fact; I couldn't remember the last time that I'd left the gates. Maybe when I was seven? Six? Wow, that was depressing. I might as well have been a prisoner in my own home.

"Asher," I breathed.

"Yeah?"

"Are we outside of the gates of the academy?"

"Yes… we left them back there." He paused to indicate back towards a huge pine tree that blocked the sun from where we were. I felt a huge smile spread across my face.

"Finally!" I fought the urge to whoop loudly and run away into the distance, vanishing forever. I skipped along childishly, before stopping to breath deeply. Only then did I notice how fresh the air smelt. No hint of crumbling plaster, no scent of body odour, and a new aroma of freedom. "Oh my gods!" I ignored the looks that were cast at me from the other three. "I can't believe it!" I doubled back to Asher and grabbed his arm.

"Where're you going?" I demanded eagerly, and immediately blushed and released his arm when I saw him flush.

"Erm, we were just heading over to check on something…" He muttered, rubbing the nape of his neck. I was relieved to be able to see his pale dusting of freckles, as it meant that he'd stopped blushing.

"_Something_?" I accused, but when Tiernan shouted back, "stop lecturing him, Sylvia," I stopped. With a sigh, I fell silent. Then I felt a tug on my ponytail. I looked around, and Asher's blue eyes twinkled jokingly.

"Hey, I was enjoying that conversation. Why end it so abruptly?"

I grinned at that, and we chatted for a few more minutes until Tiernan yelled, "Quick! Up a tree, anything!"

I heard a low snarl from up ahead, and completely froze. A huge brown bear was lumbering straight for us.

**Cliffie! Yay, I love ending with those. I hope you enjoyed that with a fluffy moment for Squirrelflight and Ashfur. **

**Now REVIEW! Review and you'll get a million dollars. *****Hands it to you***** Now you must review, thank you very much. **

**And those who read Mirrors, my other fanfic in process, sorry for the long wait! I promise it'll be updated shortly. **

**~Black Cat Widow~ **


	3. Chapter 3

**And catching up after that cliffie! A huge brown bear, huh? In your review, add what you think that the bear is a substitute for! Read **_**Midnight**_** again for preciseness. **

'_With a sigh, I fell silent. Then I felt a tug on my ponytail. I looked around, and Asher's blue eyes twinkled jokingly. _

"_Hey, I was enjoying that conversation. Why end it so abruptly?" _

_I grinned at that, and we chatted for a few more minutes until Tiernan yelled, "Quick! Up a tree, anything!" _

_I heard a low snarl from up ahead, and completely froze. A huge brown bear was lumbering straight for us.'_

**Now, end of flashback. Lets get this show on the road!**

A lump formed in my throat. My mind went blank, and I tried to turn and scram, but everything in my brain was muddled up. I felt a sudden urge to puke, as I did when I was either under pressure or scared out of my wits. Which I was now.

"Urgh…" I held my stomach, eyes wide and glassy. The grizzly was lumbering towards us, and it's jaws stretched open to roar. It displayed two rows of mean teeth. Sharp, yellowing, and strong enough to tear through, I dunno, a human, I reckon.

"Hey, Fire!" Ben shouted. "Don't just stand there!"

"Sylvie, snap out of it! Quick!" Asher gasped from somewhere else.

"Hurry! It won't hesitate for much longer!" Tiernan's voice came from somewhere else. And they all spoke at the same time. Nothing processed in my brain properly, until the bear lashed out and caught my arm, throwing me over. I squeaked. It bellowed once again.

Finally I came out of my trance.

"Omigod! O-oh! My! G-g-od!" I slipped as I charged back to my feet at a breakneck speed. I heard the other three speaking in unison, though I understood nothing of it. With a final fleeting look at the grizzly that now swung it's head from side to side, searching for… well, _me_, I launched myself up the closest tree, scrambling at the loose bark desperately, auburn hair tangling in my face and eyes. Someone caught hold of my injured arm, and I yelped, tears stinging my eyes as I registered the burning pain that flowed up my right arm.

"Sorry." I looked up and my eyes met Ben's, a fiery amber, not unlike Lena's when she'd left. He gritted his teeth and helped me to clear the rest of the tree trunk and scramble up the highest branches capable of holding our weight.

"Um, thanks," I mumbled, and before I could get the most-likely-cutting reply, my stomach heaved again, and an unpleasant liquid came to my mouth, as it does before one vomits. Ever noticed it? It's gross, seriously! I clambered around to face another way as I was sick over the tree branch.

"Uh, you 'kay?"

"Yeah…" I gripped the branch that rose overhead, before looking down at my arm. Three claw scratches ran across the bottom half of my arm, deep, but clean. Blood pulsed out of the cuts, and I felt dizzy just looking.

"That doesn't look good." I glanced over at Ben and gave him a sarcastic smirk.

"I didn't know. You know, I'm kind of blind and immune to pain, so I can't see or feel anything, right?" Ben obviously thought better than to shoot a comment back, and fixed his attention down below. I peered out after him. I couldn't see much at ground level, so I searched for Tiernan and Asher. And… there they were!

Asher was exactly diagonal my savior tree, perched up as high as we were, and he was reclining into the curve of the branches, watching the bear somewhere down below.

Tiernan was two trees away from Asher, in a tree smaller than ours. He wasn't as high, though he had distanced himself far enough from the grizzly, which was getting angrier by the second as it realized that we were no longer there. It bellowed once again, then huffed, snuffled, and lumbered away.

I took a few deep breaths through my nose, counted to eighty very slowly, and then slowly let myself be coaxed back down my new best friend, the tree. I still felt sick as my feet made contact with the ground, and no surprise, Tiernan decided to skip the journey that he had set out for, and told us shakily that we would go the long way back to the Brinton S.C. Warriors' Academy. To avoid the bear's route, of course. If we'd met that beast one more time, I was sure that I'd never be able to have left the boarding school ever again. Quite literally.

As a matter of fact, I felt as though I would never blink again. My eyes remained glued open, frozen from the assault from the bear, and I barely registered the fact that Asher hugged me tight, and Ben stalked away as he did so.

"Bears?" Finlay raised an eyebrow, and ran his fingers through his dark auburn hair, green eyes lifting skyward. "Are you sure, Tiernan?"

"I couldn't be more positive." Tiernan sounded grim after he had recounted their encounter with the grizzly.

"I suppose that I am incapable of informing you that you are entirely mistaken," Finlay sighed, glancing at my arm with sadness shadowed in his eyes. "I am afraid to confirm my suspicions, thus, I must be blunt with you. The woods are no longer safe for anybody."

"But–!" Ben's silent exclamation went unheard. Both Tiernan and Asher seemed to agree with him, yet they said nothing. I, on the other hand, felt both relief and irritation.

Good: I wouldn't be forced out into the woods under any circumstances. I hope. That is, until I have recovered from the shock.

Bad: My dad was treating me like a little kid. Just because I was scratched, he thought that the woods were _unsafe_ from the on. Sheesh. Paranoid, if you ask me. _No disrespect intended_.

So I didn't speak. I rested my chin in my palm, and narrowed my eyes at Finlay as he continued to spit out orders. I couldn't help but feel annoyed at him. Just because he was top in command here didn't mean everybody was his _slaves_. Okay, maybe that was a little over-exaggerated, but _still_.

"Why're you being so… so… officious!" It came out of my mouth harsher than intended. Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Everybody directed their gaze on me in disbelief, but Finlay looked cold now.

"If you haven't noticed yet, but I _am_ the academy's director," he said slowly, face upturned to stare at the ceiling, as though he couldn't believe how stupid I was.

"You still don't have to tell people who love the woods to just, like, stay away from it!" _Including me. At times._ "It's like, if Bella had told you to stay away from _Sienna_!" Okay, maybe that was one step too far. Sienna, Finlay's late recent-lover, had been out of bounds anyway. Bella was also gone, and that probably had also stung Finlay hard. He stared down at me, and only then did I notice that I was on my feet, glaring up at him.

"H-hey, um, Sylvie… calm down a little…" Asher's voice broke into mine and Finlay's little angry bubble. I breathed out through my nose as my father stared at me, cold green ice chips in his eyes.

"Don't push it, Sylvia," he said slowly, staring me down carefully. He turned to Tiernan, and gave a single nod. Everybody took the signal, and filed out of the room.

"Now what?" Ben sounded very much like a small child.

"You heard Finlay. No more of the woods." Tiernan's voice was wary, as though he was completely drained. No surprise there. But there was a pain behind his voice which I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"I wonder what his problem is?" Asher wondered aloud, but cut short when Tiernan threw an angry look at him. "I mean… uh, are you coming?" He directed the attention over to me.

"In a moment." I refused to meet anybody's eye, but I heard Tiernan mutter as they walked away, "That kid's hormones are really catching her up."

"If you mean her mood swings, then I agree," came Ben's blank reply. "They're monstrosities."

"I know you're not immature, but still, you better not be talking about her body…" Asher threatened Tiernan, and I would have gone red and shouted angrily after them, but I guess I was too tired and frustrated and irritated and angry and mad and scared and…

"What can I do?" Finlay's voice drifted out from along the corridor. My ears pricked, and I pressed against the wall as I listened. "Sylvia and Lena will come prying any time from now, and so will Sandy… No one can know what will happen…"

Who was he talking to? As far as I knew, he was alone.

"…Nobody would be able to trust one another. Please. I need answers." I could hear the stress in Finlay's voice, and I sweat dropped when I heard whom he was addressing.

"_Bella_."

**No cliffie this time… :( Anyway, I hope that that chapter was fine, because I had a few major mind-blanks. I hope they stay away for a while! **

**Now, who is Bella? Who is Sienna? What is the grizzly? Review with your answers and future suggestions! **

**~Black Cat Widow~ **


	4. Chapter 4

**Congrats to those who guessed correctly. Bella is indeed Bluestar while Spottedleaf preoccupies the space of Sienna. And the bonus point: bear = badger. Tee hee hee! ^-^**

**Ha ha ha, now you, my dearest reader, have a little fluff to look out for this chapter :) If that's a good thing, I'm not sure. Those on Team Ashfur should be happy. Actually, I've noticed that Team Ashfur is not unlike Team Jacob from Twilight, and Team Brambleclaw is the equivalent of Team Edward. Huh. Yes? No? Yes…? No…? *awkward moment* Okay… I guess not… I'll just, y'know… um, go now… '-_- **

'"_What can I do?" Finlay's voice drifted out from along the corridor. My ears pricked, and I pressed against the wall as I listened. "Sylvia and Lena will come prying any time from now, and so will Sandy… No one can know what will happen…"_

_Who was he talking to? As far as I knew, he was alone. _

"…_Nobody would be able to trust one another. Please. I need answers." I could hear the stress in Finlay's voice, and I sweat dropped when I heard whom he was addressing. _

"_Bella."' _

I clenched my hands in and out of fists, fighting the urge to rip out my own hair. Finlay… Dad… had… had this _way_ of irritating me so badly, and then making me feel bad for getting angry. Had some 'kind' fairy blessed him when he was born, giving him that gift or something? If it _was_ a gift, anyway… why couldn't I do that? It wasn't fair! I know that I was being childish, but so what? Couldn't all people have an immature side to them?

"Is he paranoid or something," I mumbled under my breath. "Maybe he _knew_ I was there, and started pretending to talk to Bella to make me feel guilty." Who knew?

"Um, Sylvie?"

I whirled around, shoulders as lifted as high as my chin, but I relaxed when I saw that it was only Lena. Then suddenly I tensed again. She was still mad at me, right? For calling her thick. I hadn't meant to!

"Yeah?" I asked wearily, scrubbing the toe of my shoe into the ground. The only noise was the lazy _squeak, squeak, squeak_ echoing around the hallway. A faint blush spread across my face, for no good reason at all. Just another part of being nothing _but_ human.

"You should see Coralie." Lena sounded just as awkward as me. I scoffed, totally forgetting that I was meant to apologize, and try to fix things. But again (and not for the last time), my temper blew and I lost it.

"Yeah, right. I just got scratched, Lena! Why would I want to visit the school nurse? Get you facts right! Oh my gosh, why does everyone think that I'm a little kid? And!" I shot at her. "I'm _older_ than you."

"She's a doctor, not a pathetic nurse." Lena's voice had gone dangerously quiet again. "And you may be older physically, but even others agree that I'm the eldest maturity-wise."

My jaw dropped.

"What does that even _mean_? Please!" I snorted. "Save your planned speech for somewhere else!" I turned my back on my sister, but instead of backing down as she usually would, she grabbed the collar of my shirt and shoved her face right up into mine. It was a little disorienting, the way her movements were so rough and brusque, yet her expression was calm and peaceful, if not darkness painted across it.

"Our community accepts none of this, Sylvia Fire. You must be living your life in a dream, because you assume big if you assume that others will let your tongue continue to move after the comments that you choose to spit. You're arrogant and think yourself above others. Wake up."

With a shove, far rougher than anything that Lena had ever done, she knocked me backwards, so that I stumbled slightly before regaining my balance, and watched her move away swiftly.

At first, I didn't comprehend what she had said. Or maybe I was just blind to the truth, and didn't want to accept that she was right. I felt blank and empty, as though I had indeed been screened from the real world, and the barrier had finally been moved away. It was like I was seeing the world, and its complete and total vastness, the pain, the cruelty, the raging love that truly did exist.

A door clicked shut behind me, and I jumped out of my epiphany. With a harsh grimace, I stomped away down the corridor, trying to figure out why I felt so moody suddenly. No real reason, I guess. I tried to let some of the weight that had settled onto my shoulders up, however I felt too stressed to let anything go.

With a tiny shrug of my shoulders, I headed off to my dorm to let off some invisible steam.

Each separate dormitory had two residents. I shared with Willandra, the blonde, sun-tanned, slim, super-sporty girl. She was 'the' definition of popular in my opinion, not even to mention the huge bonus point: Will wasn't one of those snobbish, I'm-better-than-those-nerds ones, but on the other hand was extremely friendly and, well, kind of _high._ **(Wow, I just realized, Will sounds just like one of my friends! :P)**

She wasn't around when I got to the dorm, probably outside on the ovals kicking a soccer ball or something. I quickly got inside the door and flopping against it, exhaled noisily.

The first place that I made for was the bathroom. Splashing water over my face to clear the grime and sweat, I finally gave in to a shower; my attempts were poorly.

After a full on wash, I dressed way more casual than before: I planned to hang around in bed for the rest of the day, catching up with homework, reading and sleeping. Faded dark blue trackies and a loose black-and-white sweater seemed the right clothes combination.

I cleared the jumble of washing from my bed and into my closet, pulled my hair back into a ponytail, drew the curtains and threw open the windows to let fresh air in. My view overlooked the lake out back, a fairly serene landscape. Yawning, I realized suddenly how sleepy I was, and made for my bed, rubbing my eyes. I was asleep before my head even made contact with the pillow.

I woke around late afternoon. I woke so peacefully, at the perfect time that I felt that I had neither over-slept nor under-slept.

_Warm, so incredibly warm and comfortable_… I mumbled something unintelligent under my breath as I slowly resurfaced, and then my eyes snapped open, breath hitched in my throat. A pair of dark blue eyes met mine immediately.

_What the _hell_?!_

I exclaimed and fell off my mattress, suddenly wide awake.

"Hey, careful," Asher said, grinning widely.

"What the _BEEP__**(My story is only rated T, so insert the taboo word where 'beep' is) **_are you doing here?" I screamed, scrambling to my feet, and instead knocking my head extremely hard against the bedframe. "Argh!"

"You're a little crazy when you wake, aren't you?" He chose to say instead. He was sitting opposite me in the armchair by the window, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Creep! Creep! Creep!" I chanted, deciding that that word was extremely suitable for describing Asher.

"I'm not really a creep, considering the fact that I didn't come in without permission to watch you sleep, rather I came in on a certain somebody's orders to send you to Coralie. So, hey! It's time for you to go play doctor with Doctor Cinders."

I blinked, barely comprehending with I'd just been told. Something about watching me sleep, and Doctor Cinders, whoever the heck she or he was.

"Uh, excuse me?"

"The _doctor_? _Visiting_ her?" Asher sounded worried, as though he thought that I was a little brainless. Maybe I was, but no _way_ was I going there.

"Um… no…?" I started to crab-shuffle towards the door slowly, my stomach clenching. If I could just get outside, I was safe… Nobody could beat me in a sprint around the turning corners of the maze in this academy! If I had the element of surprise, that is… it was a little hard to ignore Asher's lean muscles. I slowly stood and stared at my feet for a moment, before grabbing a red-and-black tartan flannel shirt and denim jeans, feeling his amused gaze on me the whole time.

"I'm going to the bathroom." I turned to head out the door, but Asher pointed out, "you're bathroom's just here."

How the frick did Asher know where the bathroom was? When I'd first moved into this room, it had taken me all day to figure out where everything was. And that was only two years ago.

"Oh." I tried to act stupid, but I could tell that my efforts were pathetic, from Asher's raised eyebrow. "Well then, I'll just be off…" I turned quickly, took a step and face-planted into the door. I swore angrily, and blushed furiously when I felt Asher grab my hand just as I was getting ready to make a break for it.

Suddenly the door opened, narrowly missing my face again, and we were faced by Will and Sam, who had chosen this _perfect_ moment to come in to drop off the soccer ball.

What was the sight like, I wonder? Me with my famous wild-cat green eyes staring straight at them desperately, posed as though ready to go on a kilometer sprint or something, with Asher, his expression equally surprised as mine, though eyes stormy blue rather than green, gripping my hand.

Silence. Awful silence. Then –

"I have to go!" I choked, humiliated, and dropped all self-pretense, freeing my wrist and shoving past the statues of Will and Sam, running, faster and faster, away from everything, away from the world, my hand burning.

**So good? Bad? Let me know! And do not worry, I am not through with Squirrelflight and Ashfur yet! Heh heh heh! :D That was a quick update because I was eager to write, but the term break holidays are in a day or two, so I won't be updating for a few weeks. Sorry!**

**~Black Cat Widow~ **


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